Blast From His Past
by Ashbo
Summary: A girl from Craig's past comes into town, totally different from when he knew her. Can they still be friends? And what does Craig think about her liking Blank!CHAPTER 9 IS UP! it is getting seriously serious!
1. Who Are You Again?

Sophia walked up the drive way to the large house. She looked down at the address written down on the piece of paper she was holding. She looked up at the house. Same address. She shrugged and rung the doorbell. An old woman answered.  
  
"Oh..I'm, sorry, do Dr. Manning and Craig Manning live here?"  
  
"Oh no, I'm sorry dear, they don't. Just me and my kitties.." The woman smiled.  
  
"Oh…do you know where they are?"  
  
"Dr. Manning died two years ago in a car accident."  
  
"What! Do you know anything about Craig?"  
  
"No, I'm sorry. I don't."  
  
"Thanks anyways." Sophia turned and walked away. Her home was only a short distance from the old Manning house, which was good, or else she would have gotten lost. She walked in the front door of her home, defeated.  
  
"Sophia? Home already? How's Craig? And Dr. Manning?" Her mom asked her, coming from the kitchen.  
  
"Dead." She flatly says. Her mother dropped the plate she was drying.  
  
"What? What did you just say?"  
  
"Dr. Manning, is dead. He died two years ago. In a car accident."  
  
"And Craig?"  
  
"The woman didn't know. So neither do I. I'm going to my room." Sophia sulked up the stairs, and flopped onto her bed. She pulled out a box from under her bed. It was full of letters from Craig. The letters had stopped coming about two years ago.  
  
"I guess that's why…" She said aloud. She shoved the box back under her bed. She wondered where Craig was, and if he was okay. Sophia had just moved to Degrassi from British Colombia. Craig had been a good friend of hers, up until the end of eighth grade, when he moved. She was devastated. They tried to keep in touch. But it only lasted about a year. Now it was October, 2004, and Sophia was going to start eleventh grade at Degrassi Community School. They had already started a couple a weeks ago, which is okay, she wouldn't be too far behind.  
  
The next day, Sophia had gotten up extra early, so she could look good on her first day of school. She made sure to wash her hair and body extra long, so she would smell good. And picking out her clothes was like defusing a bomb. She had to work perfectly and with careful thought. She was able to come across the perfect outfit though. A pink plaid skirt with a plain pink v-neck shirt, and pink, high top, Chuck Taylor all-stars to top it all off. She figured she looked great. And if not, she was at least looking like herself. She left her medium length bleach blonde hair down. It had black highlights in it. Picking up her messenger bag, she headed to her mom's room and pushed the door open.  
  
"Mom?" She whispered.  
  
"I'm going to school now, I'll see you after you get home from work." She saw her mom turn over in her bed, and then she shut the door. Going down stairs, she grabbed a bottle of water and went outside. She hopped into her Mini Cooper and carelessly tossed her backpack into the passenger seat. She blasted the radio and started on her ay to Degrassi Community School.  
  
Upon arriving, she saw the school was swarming with teenagers, all different ages. Many were sitting out on the steps, others were on the basketball courts, and tons were flowing inside. She parked next to a black SUV, grabbed her bag, and got out. Locking her car, she looked at it, seeing her reflection. She was wearing all pink. Even her backpack was pink. With false confidence, she held her head high and walked up the steps and into the school. She took a piece of paper out of her pocket. It had her schedule and her locker number on it.  
  
"156.…" She said. "Well this is 134, so I can't be too far from here." She walked down the hall, looking up every now and then, checking on the number. Finally, she found 156. And a dark haired boy leaning against it, talking to a blonde girl.  
  
"Excuse me, you're on my locker."  
  
The boy and girl stopped talking and looked at her.  
  
"Oh, sorry."  
  
The boy moved over to the girl and Sophia went to unlock her locker.  
  
"Are you new?" She stopped, and looked up at the girl who had asked her the question.  
  
"Yes, I am new. Let's get this conversation out of the way, shall we? My name is Sophia Carlson, I'm in grade 11, I just moved her from British Columbia, I don't need help finding my way, and, although I am accepting offers to be friends, I won't accept your pity."  
  
The girl looked taken aback. The boy was laughing. The girl recovered and extended her hand.  
  
"My name is Emma Nelson. I'm not new. I'm in grade 10. I won't pity you, but I'm sure I'll see you around." The boy cleared his throat.  
  
"Oh. This is JT."  
  
The girl nodded, slightly interested.  
  
"JT? What's that stand for?"  
  
JT interrupted before Emma even got the chance to start.  
  
"That isn't important. We have to go, anyways. Bye!" JT pulled Emma away, seemingly half angry with her. Sophia shrugged and went back to opening her locker. She tossed her stuff in and pulled out her schedule.  
  
"Hour one. Media Immersion. Oh yay."  
  
The bell rang.  
  
"Yippie, I get to hurry off and sleep again." She grabbed a notebook and folder, and her map. She headed where she thought was the right direction. After a minute of walking, and then a minute of panicking, she found the room. It was hard to miss. It was a giant computer lab. She went in and went straight to the teacher and waited until he looked up.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Hi, um, I'm new here, and I don't know if there is assigned seating or-"  
  
"You must be Sophia!"  
  
"Yep."  
  
"We Aren't doing anything challenging right now in class, just working on some HTML. Your transcript said you had already done that, so you won't be behind. We are starting a project today though."  
  
"Okay."  
  
"Alright, go ahead and take a seat in the second row, third chair. And welcome, to Degrassi. I'm Mr. Simpson."  
  
"Thanks, Mr. Simpson." She smiled. It was important to get in good with the teachers. But not too good. She went and sat down where she was told. There was a boy with curly, dirty blonde hair sitting next to her, but he hadn't even noticed she sat down. The bell rang and everyone immediately stopped talking and looked to the front of the class. Except for the boy sitting next to Sophia. He had finally realized someone sitting next to him. Mr. Simpson started talking about what they had done yesterday, and began a lecture on the usage of HTML.  
  
"Hey. Where did you come from?" The boy asked stupidly. Sophia rolled her eyes.  
  
"My mother. You?"  
  
"You're saucy. No, really."  
  
"British Columbia. Just today."  
  
"Cool."  
  
"Yeah." Sophia was trying to give this guy the signal she didn't want to talk anymore.  
  
"I'm Spinner."  
  
"Great."  
  
"Aren't you going to tell me your name?"  
  
"Sophia. Will you leave me alone now?"  
  
There was a tall boy sitting in the row ahead of Sophia, it made it hard to see part of the projection screen.  
  
"Hey, what did I do to you?"  
  
"Mr. Mason." Mr. Simpson said, hearing Spinner talk.  
  
"Sorry, Mr. Simpson." Mr. Simpson went back to his lecture. Sophia couldn't stand it anymore. The guy in front of her was making it hard to see.  
  
"Excuse me." He didn't hear her.  
  
"Excuse me?" No response. She crumpled up a piece of paper and threw it at his back. He flinched and started turning around.  
  
"I can't see the sc -" She stopped when she saw his face.  
  
"Craig?" Craig looked at her weird.  
  
"Do I know you?"  
  
A frown cast over Sophia's face. 'I can't believe this.' She thought.  
  
"You look like someone I used…nah, never mind. Sorry about being in your way. I'll move."  
  
"Thanks." She looked down. 'This can't be happening. Is because I'm older? Or because my hair is a different color? It is dark in here….' She was really upset. But she tried not to let it bother her. She pretended to listen to class.  
  
"Alright class. Now, for you're assignment. I want you to make a website about something or someone that inspires you. It can be an idea, a person, an object, a group of people. Anything. But make it good! I'm handing out the guidelines right now."  
  
Mr. Simpson passed out a yellow piece of paper to everyone.  
  
"Okay, you have the rest of the time to work!"  
  
But no one really planned on working. During 'work time', Mr. Simpson let them get away with pretty much everything. Sophia opened a window to start her project, and Spinner turned to her. Again. She sighed and knew she couldn't get out of talking to him. So she decided to oblige. Craig had turned around to talk to Spinner, but Spinner starte4d talking to Sophia first.  
  
"So, Sophia from British Columbia, do you have a boyfriend?"  
  
As Spinner said those first five words, something in Craig's brain clicked.  
  
"Well, I did just move here so no. Why, are you -"  
  
"Sophia?!?!?!?!" Spinner and Sophia, along with the rest of the class, turned their attention to Craig. Soon, everyone who didn't care went back to doing their own thing.  
  
"Craig." She said, disappointed.  
  
"No way."  
  
"Way."  
  
"How are you here?"  
  
"My mom moved us here. Duh."  
  
"Oh."  
  
"Yeah, I went to your house….to find out it wasn't your house anymore. And some other stuff too."  
  
"Yeah…this isn't the greatest place to catch up. Lunch?"  
  
"Whatever." Sophia was still mad that he didn't recognize her. She walked away, realizing she didn't know where she was walking.  
  
"Need some assistance?"  
  
She turned around.  
  
"Ah. The boy blocking my locker. JT, right?"  
  
"Right. Where are you headed?"  
  
"Mr. Armstrong's pre-calculus?"  
  
"Sounds harsh. But its six rooms that way." He pointed down the hallway.  
  
"Thanks!" She ran in the direction he was pointing and JT watched as she disappeared into a classroom.  
  
At lunch, Sophia just stood in the front of the cafeteria, looking for Craig. She felt really dumb.  
  
"Hey! Sorry I'm late!" Craig apologized, coming up beside her. She looked him over.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Let's go sit outside." Craig led Sophia to a table by the basketball courts. An empty one, so they could talk. They kind of just looked at each other for a minute, and Craig tilted his head.  
  
"Ask me. I know you want to. It's okay." He said, knowing what was next.  
  
"What happened to your dad? What happened to you? What made you stop writing?"  
  
"About two years ago, I….Sophia, as long as I can remember, my dad had been beating me."  
  
"What? No. He wouldn't. He was nice."  
  
"To you. He had anger problems. So I moved out of his house, and lived with my step-dad Joey. And then my dad died in a car accident. I stopped writing because I knew if I kept writing, I would have to tell you. But I couldn't. I had so much trouble talking about it."  
  
"This is so mind blowing. So much to take in."  
  
"I know. I'm sorry."  
  
"You should be….is there anything else huge that I should know about?"  
  
Craig stopped and looked at his feet.  
  
"Craig. Tell me."  
  
"I….I've made some really bad decisions this past year, Sophia. I don't think you would understand."  
  
"Try me."  
  
"I cheated on my girlfriend, and the girl I cheated on her with got pregnant. And had an abortion."  
  
Silence. The she laughed. But it was a harsh laugh.  
  
"Craig, you….I'm so disappointed in you." She stood.  
  
"Where are you going?"  
  
"Inside."  
  
"Can I see you after school?"  
  
"I have dance class. See ya later. Maybe." she went inside the school, and he watched, wondered what he would do now. 


	2. Dance Shoes

Making it past her first day of Degrassi, Sophia sighed. She went out to the parking lot and put her backpack in the trunk, taking out her dance bag. She brought that with her to the front and put it beside her, in the passenger seat. The dance studio was on the other side of town, and her class started in ten minutes, so she hurried a bit. When she got there, she jumped out of her car, ran through the front door and up the steps. When she arrived, there was still a class going on, for grade school kids. She sighed. Sophia went into the other room, where all the girls were changing. They all looked about Sophia's age. She was by far the tallest one there. She slipped on her leotard and put jazz pants over them. Sophia never wore shoes for a Modern class, all she wore was a 'ball-protector'. Kind of like a sandal, but it only covered the ball of her foot, for turns. She looked around, and saw that most of the girls in her class didn't wear shoes either. Sophia sat down as she struggled to put all of her hair up and out of her face. A short, Hispanic looking girl came over to her.  
  
"Hi. I'm Manny."  
  
"Hi. I'm Sophia."  
  
"Did you just join this class?"  
  
"Actually, yeah. I just moved here."  
  
"Oh, cool. Do you go to Degrassi?"  
  
"Yep, grade eleven."  
  
"I'm in grade ten. I just wanted to give you some advice. This is an advanced modern class, so, if you don't catch on right away, don't be too hard on yourself."  
  
Sophia eyed Manny. Was that some kind of insult?  
  
"Oh, I think I'll be able to handle it." She smiled.  
  
The girl named Manny went away. Sophia sat in anticipation, waiting for class to start. After what seemed like forever, the little girls started filing out of the dance room and met up with their parents to leave. All of the girls waiting with Sophia went in, so she decided to, too. They all sat in the middle of the hard wood floor in a circle, stretching. She did the same. The room was surrounded by mirrors, of course. Way to make a girl self-conscience. Their were about eleven girls in the class. Must be pretty selective, it seemed like a small amount. The teacher came in and sat in the middle. She looked around the circle and her gaze rested on Sophia.  
  
"Well hi! You must be Sophia. I'm Miss Stephanie. I'm really glad you could joiin us. We just started working on a new dance about a week ago, so if you want to watch for today, that'd be fine. You can watch as many days as you feel you need to, to catch on. I'm sure Manny can help you, she seems to always be the star."  
  
Miss Stephanie smiled at Manny.  
  
Sophia nodded. To Sophia, Miss Stephanie looked like she was only about twenty-nine.  
  
"Okay girls! Up! Get into your groups and be ready!"  
  
All the girls stood and got into groups of three, except for one group of two people. She figured she would be going in the group. Sophia took a seat on the loft. Miss Stephanie flipped a switch on the stereo in the corner. An up-beat hip/hopish song came on and all the girls seemed to move as one. Sophia took it all in, rather well. It was quite a busy dance, but it looked like fun. Sophia wanted in. Right away. Once they finished the first run through, Sophia hopped up.  
  
"Miss Stephanie?"  
  
Everyone turned to look at her. It made her uncomfortable.  
  
"I'd like to try it."  
  
Everyone looked shocked.  
  
"Oh…ok. You go with this group right here, okay? And don't worry about messing up. I don't think you'll get it the first time."  
  
Miss Stephanie was wrong. Very wrong indeed. Not only did Sophia get it right the first time, she did it better than most of the people in the class. Everyone was taken aback. At the end of class, Miss Stephanie pulled Sophia aside.  
  
"That was….wow. You are quite the dancer. How long have you been dancing?"  
  
"As long as I can remember. I had a lot of fun!"  
  
"Good! Well, our next class is next week, same day, same time. Okay?"  
  
"Oh. Only one class a week?"  
  
"Yep, but we do offer more then just Modern."  
  
Miss Stephanie handed Sophia a pamphlet.  
  
"Look through it."  
  
"I will. Thanks again!"  
  
Sophia ran into the dressing room and grabbed her bag and headed down the stairs to her car. But she was stopped when someone placed a hand on her arm as she went to open her car door.  
  
"Can…could I maybe get a ride home?" It was Manny.  
  
'You've got to be kidding me.' Was the thought going through Sophia's head.  
  
"Yeah, sure. Hop in." She always was nice.  
  
"So you were pretty amazing in there." Manny said, once they got going.  
  
"Thanks. I've been dancing for awhile. But you're pretty flawless."  
  
"Yeah, I know. I work hard for a reason." She laughed to herself.  
  
They didn't talk the rest of the way, except when manny gave directions.  
  
"Thanks for the ride," She told Sophia as she climbed out of the car.  
  
"Yeah, no problem. See you tomorrow."  
  
"Sure."  
  
Manny slammed the door and walked to her house. Sophia burned rubber out of there and headed home.  
  
"Mom, I'm home!" She called into the ninth floor apartment. It was one of those one's that covered the whole floor. It was larger than most homes. Sophia tossed her keys onto the table and went into the kitchen area.  
  
"Honey, had to stay late to work on a file, order some pizza or something. Love, Mommy."  
  
Sophia found it funny how her mom referred to herself as 'mommy'. Sophia's mom was a psychiatrist. Working hard for the craziest here in Degrassi. Sophia was whipped though. She had a long day, and fell asleep as soon as she layed down in her bed, dance clothes and everything. 


	3. Raving Rage

Sophia woke up ten minutes late the next morning, but it didn't really set her back too much. After a relaxing shower, she went down to the kitchen and had a bowl of cereal while still in her bathrobe. When she finished, she skipped u the steps to her room and opened her closet. Eyeing every piece of clothing, she was trying to decide how to make the perfect second impression. And what would set her apart from everyone else, including who she used to be. Finally, she pulled out brown, low rise pin stripped pants and a Sex Pistols crop top. After getting dressed, Sophia went back into the bathroom and spiral curled every piece of her hair.  
  
"Wow. I look hot. And wild!" She said, shaking her hair.  
  
Looking at her watch, she decided to go to school a little early so she could mingle. Grabbing her bag, she raced down the steps, out the door, into her car, and drove ten miles over the speed limit all the way to school. Getting out of the car, she took one last look at herself, and smiled. Walking towards the school, she saw JT, Emma, Manny, Liberty, and Toby sitting at a picnic table. She changed her direction and went to them. She stood at the head of the table and placed her hands on her bare waist, waiting for someone to say something.  
  
"Hey So-so-so…" JT was having trouble talking and looking at her at the same time.  
  
"Phia." Manny finished for him. She eyed her, making mental notes."  
  
"Sophia, why don't you join us?" Liberty offered.  
  
"I'd love to, but I have some people I need to talk to before school starts, just wanted to say hi!"  
  
Before leaving, she bent down and closed JT's dropped mouth and ran a finger across his lip.  
  
"Your drooling." She winked and left.  
  
"Wow Manny, I think you rubbed off on her." Liberty said.  
  
"No. I have a feeling that she's been like this for awhile. But I can't be sure, now can I?" Emma said.  
  
Manny just crossed her arms and made a "humph" sound. Toby was still laughing at JT. Sophia made sure to sway her hips extra today when she walked, going to her locker, she saw Craig walking her way with a shorter boy, with black straight hair. He stopped at her locker, trying extra hard not to make it obvious he was shocked by the way she looked. He knew that was what she wanted.  
  
"Hey Sophia. This is Marco."  
  
The boy with straight black hair extended his hand to her, she put her hand in his.  
  
"Hi, I'm Sophia Carlson."  
  
"So I've heard. I'm Marco Del Rossi."  
  
"Grade eleven?"  
  
"Grade eleven."  
  
"Awesome."  
  
Spinner came running up behind Craig and Marco and rested his hands on there shoulders, sticking his head between theirs.  
  
"Hey guys what's up?" He glanced back and forth at them, and then at Sophia.  
  
"Whoa, Sophia, you could give Manny a run for her money, back in the old days."  
  
"I'm just going to take that as a compliment."  
  
"You should. It means you're hot."  
  
"Who's hot?" Sophia turned to see who said that. She was face to face with a girl shorter than her, with long blonde hair. Spinner pushed past the boys and put an arm around the girl.  
  
"You are hunny bear."  
  
The girl smirked and walked away, dragging Spinner with her. Sophia turned back around and shut her locker.  
  
"I'll catch up with you guys later."  
  
She walked away, headed for the hallway where the grade ten's had lockers. Spotting her prey, she stopped for a moment, thinking things through. She continued walking and leaned against a locker next to the open one. She was next to the door, so the person going through the locker couldn't see her. She shut the locker, and the boy jumped back, not wanting his hand to get caught in it.  
  
"Sophia. To what do I owe this pleasure?"  
  
"Promise not to drool this time?"  
  
"ha, ha." JT laughed nervously.  
  
"There was a purple sign outside the school talking about a rave tonight. Go with me."  
  
JT gulped and blinked, hard, making sure he wasn't dreaming.  
  
"Like a date?"  
  
"Yes, JT, like a date."  
  
"It would be an honor."  
  
"Can you drive?"  
  
"Um…no…"  
  
"That's okay, give me your address and I'll pick you up at nine."  
  
Sophia pulled a pen out of her back pocket and held out her hand. JT took the pen and scribbled his address down on her hand. She took back the pen and smiled, as the bell rang.  
  
"See you tonight, James Tiberius."  
  
JT's cheeks turned a deep shade of red.  
  
"Hey, who told you that!"  
  
He yelled after her. She just shrugged as she walked away.  
  
Entering the Media Immersion lab, she stopped at Mr. Simpson's desk.  
  
"Mr. Simpson, nice shirt."  
  
Sophia had learned that a simple comment like that every now and then put you on a teachers good side.  
  
"Thank you, Sophia. Who's wearing the other half of yours?"  
  
She turned and looked at him, offended.  
  
"I'm kidding! I know I know, it's the style. I was just playing with you."  
  
"Right."  
  
She smiled and went to her seat. When class started, Mr. Simpson had everyone open up a blank word document as he began to describe what they were going to work on today. An instant message popped up on her screen.  
  
OverXposed: Hey. It's Craig.  
  
SexySophie: What do you want. If I get in trouble I'll kill you.  
  
OverXposed: Don't worry, Simpson doesn't come around to check until we start working.  
  
SexySophie: I said what do you want?  
  
OverXposed: Why are you being so hostile?  
  
SexySophie: we aren't best buds, Craig. You are like everyone else here to me now, someone I am trying to get to know. You're a different person. I am, too.  
  
OverXposed: I just wanted to know if you were doing anything tonight. I wanted to get together, you know, talk. Sort some stuff out.  
  
SexySopihe: We have nothing to sort out.  
  
OverXposed: Could you just tell me why you are so mad at me?  
  
SexySophie: you left me Craig. Against your will, I know, but you stopped trying to contact me.  
  
OverXposed: I'm sorry.  
  
SexySophie: To answer your question, yes, I am doing something tonight, so we can't get together tonight.  
  
OverXposed: What are you doing?  
  
SexySophie: Who are you my mom?  
  
OverXposed: no, just interested. Sorry.  
  
SexySpohie: sigh if you MUST know, I'm going to a rave. With JT Yorke. Know him?  
  
OverXposed: Yeah. Don't like him much either. Too immature. Childish.  
  
SexySophie: good thing you aren't the one going out with him tonight. I'll talk to you later.  
  
Sophia turned off the instant message program and listened to the last of Mr. Simpson's lecture.  
  
Sophia was walking down the hallway, on her way to lunch. She had more confidence than anyone could wish for. She smiled with each step, waved to people she knew, and people she didn't know. She was almost to the cafeteria, when someone gripped her upper arm and yanked her into a classroom, closing the door fast.  
  
"Hey! What's the big idea! Who the hell do you thin- Craig? I am so out of here."  
  
Sophia turned and put a hand on the door.  
  
"Wait! Come on. Two minutes. No interruptions. That's all I want."  
  
"Okay. Start."  
  
"Sophia, this is fucking ridiculous, and, honestly, it is pissing me the hell off. I don't know why you are so angry with me, yes I stopped writing, I'm sorry, but isn't it understandable? My dad died. I was going through a lot of shit, and I couldn't talk to anyone about it. And once I stopped, I thought it would be weird just to send a letter out of the blue. I'm so sorry. But I really wish we could get over this. I really wish YOU could get over this."  
  
"Times up. Craig, I just moved here. Why can't I just treat you the way I'm treating everyone else?"  
  
"Because I'm not like anyone else! I know you!"  
  
"Correction. You knew me. I'm different. a lot. It has been a long time."  
  
"So, we can't be friends?"  
  
Sophia took a step back.  
  
"What? When did I say that? I want to be your friend, I am drawn to you because I want to know all about who you are, now. But you have to let me know other people too, Craig. We can be friends, alright? And we will be."  
  
"Okay."  
  
Craig sighed, it felt like a weight had been lifted off of his chest. Craig moved past Sophia to leave.  
  
"Craig?"  
  
He turned around, hand still on the doorknob.  
  
"Next time you want to do some rompin' in an empty classroom, let me know ahead of time."  
  
She winked. He laughed.  
  
"By the way, I don't like your new clothes."  
  
"You sound like my mother!"  
  
She jabbed him in the abdomen and ran out the door, him follow suit shortly after.  
  
Sophia had been trying on outfits for an hour and a half. She just wasn't satisfied. She had this dire, desperate NEED to look better than every girl that was going to be at the rave. And that's exactly what she wanted to do. It's not that she was a slut, or even dressed like one. 'So what if I have a low self esteem? This is how I feel better about myself. If nobody likes it, they can go screw themselves.' She finally found and outfit. She slipped on high-heeled shoes that were obviously inspired by Chuck Taylor Converses. A ruffled green skirt, made of towel fabric, a light pink long sleeve shirt with an 'S' on it, and a green baseball cap that said 'John Deere'. Looking in the mirror, she definitely knew she didn't match. But what the hell. Grabbing a wad of one dollar bills, she went to her car and drove to JT's house. Pulling into the driveway, she didn't even have to go get him. He shot out of the door like a race horse, zooming to the car and hopping in.  
  
"Hey."  
  
"Hi! You ready to let loose?"  
  
"With you? Yes!"  
  
They laughed and sang along to the radio on the way to the rave. Arriving, Sophia had to park a block away. Obviously it was packed. There was also a huge line, which didn't make Sophia so happy.  
  
"What the hell. We are going to be out here for fricken ever."  
  
JT just looked at her, not knowing what to do. He scanned the line.  
  
"hey! There's Manny! let's go way up there, it'll be much faster."  
  
"If it gets us in faster…"  
  
JT grabbed her arm and dragged her to were Manny was standing, pretty close to the front.  
  
"Hey Manny." Sophia said flatly.  
  
"Sophia. Ever been to a rave before?" Manny said, almost laughing looking at the way she was dressed.  
  
"Manny. Ever been to an abortion clinic before?" She shot back. Manny shut her mouth as JT stepped between them.  
  
"Ladies ladies ladies! Save the energy for the dancing."  
  
Sophia crossed her arms and practically threw five dollars at the door man when she was entering. But once she got in, she let go of her tensity and pulled JT with her to the center of the mass of people, throwing her arms in the air and dancing like she had never danced before. JT got thirsty really fast.  
  
"Sophia!" He screamed.  
  
"Yeah?" She yelled back.  
  
"Let's go get some water!"  
  
"Okay!"  
  
Sophia danced as she and JT walked to the counter where water was stocked to the high heavens. After grabbing a bottle each, they went out into the lounge and sat down for a break.  
  
"Having fun?" JT asked her.  
  
"mmhmm." She mumbled, swallowing the water she had just dumped into her mouth.  
  
"I uh….I'm really glad you asked me to come with you." JT told Sophia, fiddling with his water bottle.  
  
Sophia smiled and put a hand to her chest.  
  
"Why, JT Yorke, I do declare you're quite taken with me!" She said, in a mock, southern belle accent.  
  
He blushed, but wasn't about to let her get away with that.  
  
"I'm about as taken with as I am with…Toby?"  
  
"Oh come ON JT. I barely know you, but I am aware that you can do so much better than that."  
  
"Sorry, I have trouble talking when I'm with you."  
  
"…why?"  
  
He laughed nervously and stood.  
  
"hey, is that Nelly I hear? Come on, let's go 'get our eagle on!'"  
  
Before she could protest, JT ran back out into the crowd, so Sophia decided to just follow. Sophia had trouble taking her eyes off of JT. He was such a goof ball. He didn't talk the club scene serious, at all. He would booty dance or mock other people, which would make Sophia laugh so hard it hurt. Just over his shoulder, she saw Craig pushing past people, obviously coming their way. She was just about to drag JT off to somewhere else to avoid him, when she spotted Manny throwing herself in his path. 'Yes.' She said to herself.  
  
At about 11:45, there was an announcement from the DJ.  
  
"Hey hey hey! Everybody, thanks for jamming at the rave tonight, but we gotta close down in fifteen minutes. Make the most of it, and don't forget to come to next weeks rave with DJ Dizzy Jams!"  
  
Everybody screamed.  
  
"JT!" Sophia yelled into his ear.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Let's go, I don't want to get crushed when everybody has to leave!"  
  
"Okay!"  
  
As they headed for the door, Sophia thought she was successful in avoiding Craig that night. Entering the street, they ran to her car, to find Craig standing against it.  
  
"Craig?" Sophia said, squinting.  
  
"Yeah, it's me. I was wondering if I could get a ride home."  
  
Sophia looked over at JT.  
  
"Sure."  
  
She pushed the button on her keys and the car beeped, signaling it was unlocked. Craig opened the door and got in the front seat, leaving JT and Sophia looking at each other. When he shut the door, they talked quickly.  
  
"Don't worry about it, Sophia. It's just a seat."  
  
"Whatever. I've had it up to here with him."  
  
JT got in the back seat and Sophia got in the driver's seat. They arrived at JT's house first.  
  
"I'll be right back," She spat at Craig, exiting the car and walking to JT's door.  
  
"Did we switch roles or something, because I thought the guy was supposed to walk the girl to the door?" JT asked, jokingly.  
  
"Listen JT, I had a lot of fun. I'd like to see you again."  
  
JT looked shocked.  
  
"Really?!"  
  
"Yeah! You are so fun to be with, and you make me relax. You're a good guy in my book."  
  
She softly kissed his cheek.  
  
"I'll see you tomorrow."  
  
"Yeah…" JT said, dazed.  
  
When Sophia got back into the car, Craig through a fit.  
  
"You kissed him?!"  
  
"On the cheek. what's the big deal?"  
  
"I can't stand that guy, Sophia. And you are an old, and good friend of mine. I don't think you should get involved with him."  
  
"Thanks for your honesty, but I'm a big girl now. I don't need advice when it comes to relationships. Especially yours."  
  
"What is that supposed to mean?"  
  
"What do you think it means, Craig?"  
  
"Whatever."  
  
They were silent all the way to Craig's house. 'Ugh I'm such a bitch! I really need to lighten up, but I hate taking shit from people.' Sophia thought as Craig opened the door and got out.  
  
"I'll see you tomorrow." He said, slamming the door.  
  
"Ughh…." Sophia laid her head against the steering wheel before driving off to her house. 


	4. New Beginnings

ONE WEEK LATER  
  
As she sat in homeroom, Sophia reflected on her first completed week at Degrassi Community School. She had gone out with JT two more times, both to movies. Both movies sucked. She had been spending some time with Craig too, but it was so weird to her. She had to get to know someone she already knew. But she didn't. But she did. And somehow, she already had enemies. Manny, of course. But she was just jealous about dancing, JT, and Craig. But another enemy came unexpected. When the bell rang, signifying the let out of homeroom, Sophia had to go to her locker and then to English. Coming within five feet of her locker, she saw a rose taped to it. She light up. As she reached out for it, someone else quickly grabbed it and through it on the ground, stomping on it.  
  
"Who would ever send you a rose?" Sean said, walking away.  
  
Sophia looked heart broken. She glumly opened her locker and pulled out her English stuff. She had no idea how she had gotten on Sean's bad side. She didn't remember doing anything to him, directly. In fact, she didn't even remember doing anything to him indirectly. Looking around, she noticed there weren't many students in the hallway, which meant class would start soon. Sophia didn't care much though, she was still a little upset. She hadn't even given thought to who had given her the rose too. Stepping towards the doorway to the Ms. Kwan's English room, she stopped when someone said, "Hey."  
  
"JT. Hi."  
  
"Um..what's new?"  
  
"Nothing."  
  
He looked disappointed.  
  
"Oh. Uh….it was from me."  
  
"Huh?" She didn't comprehend.  
  
"The rose. It was from me."  
  
"Oh. Wow."  
  
"Yeah, I guess I shouldn't have…" JT looked at his feet.  
  
"No! JT, it was really great. I loved it. Really. And it was pink. Which is my favorite color."  
  
JT was still looking at his feet, which bugged Sophia because she couldn't see the expression on his face. She stepped closer and picked his head up with her free hand.  
  
"JT? What's wrong?"  
  
He looked like he was going to puke.  
  
"I…uhm….it's just."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Will you be my girlfriend? I mean I don't know if you like me, it's just I really like you and we went out and I know you are older so you probably aren't interested and -"  
  
JT's rambling was cut off with Sophia pressing her lips against his, briefly.  
  
"I have to go to class." She whispered.  
  
And then she smiled. And he smiled back.  
  
"Okay." He whispered back, turning and going to his own class, which he was late for.  
  
Sophia stepped into the English room.  
  
"Ms. Carlson, so glad you could join us." Ms. Kwan said.  
  
"Sorry Ms. Kwan. It won't happen again."  
  
She took her seat in the front, next to Jimmy Brooks. They sat in alphabetical order. After homeroom, JT was already waiting by her locker. 'Oh no.' She thought. 'I hope he isn't like totally clingy now! Following me everywhere, stalking me, not letting me be friends with guys? Ah!' When she approached him, she had a wary look on her face, but JT didn't notice.  
  
"Sorry for blocking your locker. I'm not stalking you or anything. I just wanted to tell you something."  
  
"Oh, okay." 'Phew. Had me worried there.'  
  
"You're beautiful."  
  
Sophia broke out in a smile, JT did the same.  
  
"See you later." he said, walking away.  
  
"Wow, new girl is fitting in quite nicely with JT." Sophia looked to the side.  
  
"Paige. Jealous?"  
  
"As if."  
  
"Are you TRYING to give me a hard time fitting in?"  
  
"No, I just treat you the way I treat pretty much everyone else. Only, I don't seem to be warming up to you as much as Mr. Yorke does. Couldn't get a guy in your own grade?" She asked, purposely putting in a pinch of bitch with every word.  
  
"Paige, Paige, Paige. Don't hate me because I'm beautiful." She slammed her locker shut and got up in Paige's face.  
  
"Hate me because your boyfriend thinks I am."  
  
Walking away, she gave a girly finger wave to Spinner, making sure Paige was watching. 'I love making people squirm.' She thought as she headed to her history lesson.  
  
After school, Craig was racing through the halls to catch up with Sophia. Shoving through the front doors, he saw her walking into the parking lot.  
  
"Sophia!" He called out. She turned around and waited until he got to her.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Well, I'm not one to beat around the bush, so I'm just going to say it. Are you going out with JT?"  
  
She smirked.  
  
"And if I am?"  
  
"Oh, nothing, I was just, wondering is all."  
  
"I know you better than that, Craig. What's it to you?"  
  
"Nothing special. I'm just interested in my good friend Sophia's life is all!" He exclaimed, putting on arm around her shoulders.  
  
"Right."  
  
They stood there, awkwardly for a moment. Then he took his arm down.  
  
"Do you want to come over?"  
  
"Um. Sure. I don't have dance or anything tonight."  
  
"Great!"  
  
They got into Sophia's car and tossed their bags into the back seat. Driving away, they left a clueless JT, standing about a hundred feet away. 'I'm not worried. They are just friends. They have a history. Good friends. She is allowed to have friends. Nope. Not worried. She's mine. She wants me.' He told himself as he dropped his skateboard and started on his way home.  
  
"Hello?" Sophia called out into the house.  
  
When no one answered, she sighed.  
  
"Figures." They both said in unison, causing Sophia to cock an eyebrow at Craig.  
  
"It's not like I forgot how busy your mom's job is."  
  
"Right. Let's go to my room."  
  
As Sophia led him through the apartment, Craig eyed everything carefully. It was very homey. To others, it would seem as if an entire family lived here. Not just Sophia and her mom. They entered as large open room with a television, a computer, a tan leather couch, a computer desk with a computer, a book case, and two bean bag chairs. Sophia threw herself onto the green bean bag. Craig stood there.  
  
"What?" Sophia asked, wondering what was wrong.  
  
"This is your room?"  
  
"Yeah." She said, wondering what the big deal was. Then she got it.  
  
"Ohhh it's not my ROOM room, it's my room. Like a living room? But its mine. The room that I sleep in is right there." She pointed to a closed brown door.  
  
"Okay. I get it." He sat down on the couch.  
  
"So…things have been kind of weird since I got here, huh?"  
  
"Yeah. Just a little. I'm getting used to it, but things between you and me are…well…"  
  
"Tense?"  
  
"Intense, is more like it. A lot of stuff has happened, and I kind of just threw it all at you, with out really, you know, talking about it." Craig couldn't bring himself to look at her while he said that.  
  
Sophia stood and went to sit by him on the couch.  
  
"So tell me about it."  
  
"Just like that? I don't think it's that easy."  
  
"It can be."  
  
"You know Sophia, I've been able to deal with all this shit. It wasn't easy. But I did it. My dad dying was really hard. It tore me to pieces. I was so confused on how it had impacted me. But I healed. It isn't as if I forgot it, but I accepted it. You know?"  
  
He looked at her, and she noticed how shiny his eyes were. They were welled with tears that wanted to burst down onto his cheeks.  
  
"I know."  
  
They were silent. Craig had managed to keep control and not let the tears escape his eyes. Then, the phone rang.  
  
"Oh shit. There's no phone anywhere around here."  
  
Sophia jumped up and spun around.  
  
"Okay, I'll be right back, you can just like, explore the house and give yourself a tour!"  
  
She ran out of the room and Craig stood, watching her run down the hall and disappear into another hallway.  
  
"Oooookayy." He put his hands in his pockets and looked around, and then focused on Sophia's door.  
  
'She won't mind.' He told himself has he went to it and opened it.  
  
"Wow…"  
  
The room was covered in posters of Blink-182, Incubus, Nirvana, Nine Inch Nails, The Used, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, almost every famous rock band. She had a marble dresser with a large mirror connected to it, a round chair, a night stand with a pink lamp, and a queen sized canopy bed. 'The room isn't very big, but when someone has their own living room, who needs a big bedroom?' Craig thought to himself. He walked around the room, to one side of the bed. The side with the night stand next to it. He picked up the book that was residing on the night stand. It had a ribbon in it as a bookmark. The word JOURNAL was inscribed on the front in frilly, cursive letters. Craig's eyes widened and he began to argue with himself. 'Open it. Just take a glance. She isn't coming. She's on the phone. And she hasn't been gone too long either. But it's not right. This is a private thing.' Craig held it in his hands, knowing where this could lead. He opened it to the page where the bookmark was. There was a paragraph of writing, and that's it. He read the date.  
  
"October second, two thousand four. That's yesterday." He said to himself.  
  
And, because he was only a man and was curious, he read the paragraph.  
  
'…….Life in Degrassi has certainly been interesting. But being friends with Craig again is hard. I was hurt when he didn't recognize me, and now he expects everything to be the same. How can he not understand that we are changed people? It isn't that I don't want to be friends with him, believe me, I do. But we can't just jump and be best friends again. That isn't how things work. Anyways, I have met a couple of people, but it isn't like I have a million friends. Somehow, I even have enemies. This girl, Manny, she hates me. She's just jealous I think. Hazel Aden and Marco Del Rossi are both in my grade, they are pretty cool people to know. I hope I get to know them better. Emma Nelson, she is younger than me, she is pretty nice. She seems like a take charge kinda gal. I bet she leads protests against animal fur and stuff like that that I don't really care about. And then there is JT. He is a year younger than me, too. He's cute. And funny. And sweet. And he makes me laugh. He reminds me that I am still young and am allowed to still have fun, even though I have to deal with stress, too. He seems like good boyfriend material. I've been thinking about asking him out. But why would he like me? Why would ANYONE like me? I'm ugly, it wouldn't hurt to lose ten or fifteen pounds, I'm not really that smart, I have trouble cracking jokes, and I can be a cold hearted bitch. God. Damn. It. I hate myself. I hate myself so much it makes me want to scream and cry and rage and life is so monumentally unfair but what the hell can I do about it?! I don't want to be me. I hate being me. I wish I could trade lives with someone. I would do it in a heartbeat.'  
  
Craig slowly closed the book and set it down. He couldn't believe what he just read. 'How could she say those things about herself? She's is beautiful for starters. She is way smart, and it wouldn't hurt for her to GAIN ten or fifteen pounds. What is happening to her?' Craig was lost in thought. That is, until he heard his name being called. He put the book back where it was and went towards the door. Sophia popped in.  
  
"Hey. So you found my room. It's quaint. Anyways, that was JT. He wants to meet me at the Dot."  
  
"Oh, I guess I should get going home then." Craig felt awkward.  
  
"No! You are so coming with. Let's go."  
  
Craig smiled. He was glad she was making an effort to involve him in her life.  
  
"Okay." 


	5. Jumping The Gun

Craig and Sophia entered the Dot with arms linked, laughing. Sophia's face lit up when she saw JT, but then frowned we she saw him eyeing Craig. He looked at her and she gave him a look, hoping he read it as 'he's my friend he can stay.' JT got the message.  
  
"Hey." Craig said.  
  
"Hey." JT said back to him.  
  
Craig slid into the seat across from JT and Sophia slid next to JT.  
  
"Sorry for crashing, Sophia forced me to come."  
  
"Don't sweat it."  
  
"Yeah. Yeah okay!" Craig said.  
  
"Ugh, I am SOOO hungry!" Sophia said, placing a hand on her stomach.  
  
A waiter must've heard her, because he came running.  
  
"Hi! My name is Greg and I'll be your server today! Are you ready to order?"  
  
The three teens looked at each other and nodded their heads. Sophia started.  
  
"I'll have a chicken sandwhich with fries and a Coke."  
  
The waiter wrote down what she said, and looked at JT.  
  
"Double bacon burger with fries and a chocolate milkshake."  
  
After scribbling down JT's order, he looked at Craig.  
  
"Double bacon burger with fries and a Dr. Pepper."  
  
The waiter, Greg, closed his pad of paper.  
  
"Alrighty then!" He pranced, yes pranced, away.  
  
They all laughed.  
  
"So," JT began, "Craig, what's new with you?"  
  
"Way to put me on the spot, ha. Uh, not a whole lot." He looked at Sophia.  
  
"My band and I, Downtown Sasquatch are going to New York at the end of the month for studio time."  
  
"Oh my gosh Craig!" Sophia yelled excitedly.  
  
"That's amazing!"  
  
Craig smiled.  
  
"Yeah, yeah it really is. What about you, JT?"  
  
"Well, I don't know if you've heard, but I am dating this really hot girl. She's so amazing."  
  
JT winked at Craig and Sophia blushed and elbowed him in the ribs.  
  
"Cut it out!"  
  
"Ouch, baby, very ouch." JT said, in a mock Austin Powers accent.  
  
Craig was more at ease with the couple than he thought he would be. Although he wasn't very fond of JT, he was a good friend of Sophia's, so he had to deal. Which he did.  
  
"oHHHHH MAN I am so full!" Sophia told JT and Craig as she slouched.  
  
"Me too." the boys said in unison.  
  
There was an awkward silence, and JT just looked out the window, Craig twiddled his thumbs, and Sophia whistled. It was killing her.  
  
"Okay! So, I should get going."  
  
She stood.  
  
"Does anyone need a ride home?"  
  
"Nah, I live about a block away." Craig said, rising.  
  
"I could use one." JT said.  
  
"Okay, that settles it then. Craig, we shall see you tomorrow!"  
  
JT and Sophia hurried to her car as Craig began his walk home. Pulling up to JT's house, they say in the car for a minute.  
  
"Are you going to be offended if I walk you to your door again?" Sophia asked, kidding.  
  
"Nah. Let's go."  
  
They got out of the car and entered the aparatment building. JT led Sophia around the corner to an elevator. Going up only three floors, they stopped. Stepping out, Sophia stumbled and caught herself on the wall, bursting into laughter.  
  
"I'm such a klutz."  
  
"Yeah, yeah you are!" JT said.  
  
"Gee, thanks!"  
  
They walked to almost the end of the hallway, and JT stopped in front of a green door with the numbers 315 in gold on it.  
  
"Well, this is me." He said, gesturing to the door.  
  
"Yeah, so um, I'll see you tomorrow."  
  
Sophia turned to leave, but JT stopped her.  
  
"Do you want to come in? My parents aren't home right now. They won't be back for awhile."  
  
"Are you suggesting something, James?"  
  
"No, not at all. Just being a gentlemen." He smiled and opened the door with his keys.  
  
"Ladies first."  
  
Stepping in, she replied, "Thank you, kind sir."  
  
Taking a resting spot on his colorful couch in the living room, Sophia looked up at JT.  
  
"Do you want anything to drink?" He asked.  
  
She shook her head.  
  
"Nah."  
  
JT sat next to her, putting his feet up on the coffee table, and flipped on the TV. But he wasn't really looking at it. He was focusing on Sophia. She turned to him, and touched her face.  
  
"What, do I have something on my face?"  
  
JT let out a sigh.  
  
"No. nothing."  
  
She eyed him with confusion. As she felt his weight shift towards her, she closer her eyes. The feeling of JT putting his lips on her made her draw in a quick breath. JT stopped, wondering what was wrong.  
  
"I'm sorry, did I-"  
  
He was cut off my Sophia grabbing his face and pulling it to hers, smashing their lips together. Hers parted, allowing JT full access. And he took advantage of it. She wrapped her arms around his neck and climbed on top of him, straddling him. He put his hands on her hips. She started kissing his face, and then his neck, and he laid her down on the couch, laying on top of her. Moving back to his lips, they continued to make out. JT moved his hands to her a bare patch of skin on her back. His hands were cold, so she arched her back, making him moan into her kiss. She miss-read the signal and moved her hands from his head to the belt holding up his khaki shorts. As she pulled it through a loop, JT broke their kiss, panting.  
  
"What?" Sophia asked him. He sat up.  
  
"We should stop."  
  
Sophia sat up too and looked at the ground, embarrassed.  
  
"Oh…you don't…you don't want me?"  
  
"No! No it's not that, it's just we-"  
  
"No, I get it. Imade a mistake. I should go."  
  
She stood and ran to the door.  
  
"Sophia, wait. Sophia!"  
  
But she didn't stop. She went out the door and slammed it behind her. JT but his head in his hands and wondered what just happened.  
  
When Sophia arrived home, she ran straight to her room, grabbing a phone on the way. She quickly dialed a number.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Hi, Is Emma there?"  
  
"Hang on."  
  
Sophia heard Emma's mom yell for her. She also heard a crying baby.  
  
"Hello?" Emma said.  
  
Sophia flopped onto her bed.  
  
"I ruined everything, Emma."  
  
"Sophia? What's wrong?"  
  
"uhhh EVERYTHING."  
  
"Why don't you try and tell me."  
  
"OKay, so, I went to The Dot with JT and Craig-"  
  
"At the same time?" Emma questioned. She didn't believe it.  
  
"Yeah. They were cool about it. Anyways, afterwards, I went back to JT's house and UGGHH I can't believe it! What was I thinking?"  
  
"Why? What happened?"  
  
"Well….Em, things got pretty heated and…"  
  
"You didn't…you know…" Emma was worried.  
  
"No! No...but, I wanted to. And he didn't and I feel like such a whore! We've been dating for like, all of ten minutes and I wanted to jump his bones right there!"  
  
"Calm down. You didn't ruin everything, that's for sure. Everything is fine. You just rushed yourself. That's all."  
  
"Why are you friends with me, Emma?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"I'm such a horrible person. I have this holier than thou attitude. I mean, I act as if they are here for me. As if everyone is here for me. Is if everyone everywhere is here for me. Or are they against me?"  
  
"Sophia, no one is against you. You just need to chill. There is a party tomorrow. At Paige Michalchuk's house."  
  
"She hates me."  
  
"Doesn't matter. The more people, the more pleased she is."  
  
"Alright. I'll go. I should hang up though, I need some sleep."  
  
"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow. Remember. Relax."  
  
Click.  
  
The next morning, Sophia was walking with Craig, explaining why she was so upset.  
  
"…….and I just have this knack for screwing up. I'm just….I'm so afraid of being alone. I rush things. I have a phobia of loneliness."  
  
She stopped and rested against a locker. Craig looked at her.  
  
"Sophia, you are never alone if you're with yourself, isn't that right? And in the end, and the beginning, and all the days inbetween, isn't that really what it is anyway?"  
  
Sophia looked shocked.  
  
"Don't try to be philosophical, it just confuses me."  
  
They laughed. Craig looked down the hall and saw JT coming, and decided to leave. He knew that the two of them needed to talk.  
  
"Hey." Sophia said shyly.  
  
"Hi." JT said back.  
  
"Look JT, I am really sorry if I made you uncomfortable, I guess I jumped the gun a little bit. I'm sorry. Really. Horribly sorry."  
  
JT laughed.  
  
"Don't say sorry. You didn't do anything wrong. Really. And everything is fine."  
  
He grabbed her hand and interlaced their fingers.  
  
"Come on."  
  
He pulled her along as they walked down the hallway.  
  
"So, going to Paige's party?" Sophia asks JT.  
  
"If you are."  
  
Sophia gives him a giddy smile. The bell rings.  
  
"I'll see you later, mmk?"  
  
"Yeah, okay."  
  
He watches as Sophia bounces down the hall and stops to wait for Marco. He watches as they walk away, and disappear into the masses of everyone. 


	6. The Party

"So what do you think?" Emma said, spinning in a circle and stopping in a model pose. She was wearing torn jeans and a yellow Beatles tee.  
  
"I think you look good in my clothes!" Sophia said.  
  
"Hey, it's just your t-shirt. Besides, I'm just trying something new, ya know?" She tossed a pillow at Sophia.  
  
"Yeah, yeah."  
  
Sophia stood, and spun in a cirlce like Emma did.  
  
"What about me?"  
  
Sophia had decided to wear a black tutu, black corset with pink criss-cross laces in the back, and calf high army boots.  
  
"You're definitely going to blow SOMEONE away." Emma laughed.  
  
"What are you implying?"  
  
"JT doesn't stand a chance!"  
  
They giggled.  
  
"Ahh.. I love moments like this. Being nervous. Makes me feel so…" Sophia couldn't find the words.  
  
"Innocent?" Emma suggested.  
  
"Yes! Exactly!"  
  
Emma looked at her watch.  
  
"We should go. It is the time to be fashionable late!"  
  
"Alright. Let's hit the road, hot stuff!"  
  
Linking elbows, the girls skipped out of Sophia's room, down the hall, into the kitchen where her mom was sitting.  
  
"Mom. We are going to go now. We'll be home around…One?"  
  
"Okay, sweetie. Be careful." She gave a wave to her daughter and Emma.  
  
"Wow, Paige has HUGE house." Sophia told Emma, looking up at the large, pale pink house.  
  
"Please, Sophia. It doesn't even compare to your place."  
  
"Whatever. Let's go, we're the life of the party!"  
  
They climbed out of the Mini Cooper and walked up the sidewalk to Paige's house. Paige was at the door, greeting people. She frowned when she saw Sophia and Emma. Sophia saw Paige was about to say something, so she stopped her. She put a hand up.  
  
"Save it, Paige. I want to have tonight. So just, back off."  
  
Sophia went inside and left Paige and Emma staring after her. Emma looked and Paige, shrugged, and ran to catch up with her. Walking through a hallway into a main room, Sophia and Emma had to push through people to make it through. It was like drowning in a sea of people. They finally found a spot where the concentration of people was less. They could actually breathe.  
  
"hey! There's JT!" Emma yelled, pointing into the kitchen. He was coming there way.  
  
"Oh yay. The other half of the most annoying couple in the world is on it's way!" Emma and Sophia turned around to see who had said that.  
  
Sean and Jay were leaning up against the wall.  
  
"Mind your own business." Emma spat.  
  
"Hey, good girls, why don't you try something new for a change?" Sean said. He held up a tiny Ziploc bag with two white tablets in it.  
  
"Ecstasy?" Emma questioned, although she already knew the answer.  
  
"Hey, the girl knows her drugs." Jay retorted.  
  
"Whatever Jay, they wouldn't. they can't even bring themselves to look at it." Sean said, glaring at Sophia.  
  
"Sean, why don't you go steal something, or get drunk, or high, or whatever it is you're good at." Sophia said back.  
  
Sean took a step towards her. It was like a face off, and Jay and Emma were watching with much interest. JT wasn't there, he was having trouble fighting through the people.  
  
"You know why I really hate you, Sophia?" He was all up in her face, words dripping with attitude.  
  
"Because you think I'm a stuck up tight ass with no sense of fun?" She said, flatly.  
  
Sean looked surprised. He wasn't sure how to reply.  
  
"Well….yrah, that about covers it."  
  
Sophia wasn't finished with him. She wanted to stick it to him. She continued.  
  
"'Cause I can do anything I want, and instead I choose to pout and whine and feel the burden of teenage life? I mean, I could be rich. I could be famous. I could have anything. Anyone. Even you, Sean."  
  
Sophia paused, giving a side ways look to Emma, letting her know the good stuff was coming. Sophia lowered her voice, so only Sean could hear.  
  
"I could ride you at a gallop until your legs buckled and your eyes rolled up. I've got muscles you've never even dreamed of. I could squeeze you until you popped like warm champagne, and you would beg me to hurt you just a little bit more. And you know why I don't? (pauses) Because it's wrong."  
  
Straightening up, she snatches the tiny bag from Sean's hand and stuffs it in her pocket, leaving Sean dazed and confused. Emma follows her and they meet up with JT. He looks past them to Sean and Jay.  
  
"Were they bothering you?" He puts a protective arm around Sophia's waist. Sophia and Emma exchange looks, laughing.  
  
"Nah." they say.  
  
"Good. Now let's go party!" JT begins to pull Sophia with her, who in turn grabs Emma's arm and she gets pulled along, too.  
  
Sophia had a blast dancing with Emma and JT. They all got along really well. Better than other pairings. After dancing for five songs straight, Sophia ran out of breath.  
  
"I'm going to go get some water!" She yelled to them. They nodded, not wanting to use energy to yell.  
  
She left the living room and made her way to the kitchen. She opened the fridge, and bent over to get a bottled water. She felt someone grab her butt so she striaghten and spun.  
  
"Spinner, what the hell do you think you're doing?!" She yelled at him, slapping him in the chest.  
  
He just smiled goofily. She was going to test out her right hook on his face, but Craig came just in time. He put a hand on Spinner's shoulder.  
  
"My friend here has had a tiny bit too much to drink. Forgive him." He sent Spinner on his way and looked Sophia up and down.  
  
"Who are you supposed to be, Avril Lavigne?"  
  
"As if!" She said, offended. She stomped away and Craig ran after her.  
  
"So how are you and JT?"  
  
"Better. I'm surprised you care, seeing as how you loathe him so."  
  
"I have to have some interest in your life!"  
  
Craig followed her on to the dance floor and danced with her, JT, and Emma. It had turned out to be a pretty good party for all of them. It really gave JT and Sophia time to connect more, and at the same time, let other people know that they weren't completely self-involved, they still wanted to have friends, too. So far through out the party, they each had had a couple of shots here and there, maybe a tad bit intoxicated, but none of them were flat out drunk. The four of them had made their way up to an empty room upstairs, which must've been a family room or den or something. They sat around, laughing, making fun of each other, telling stories, just having a good time.  
  
"I am SO thirsty!" Emma said, putting her hands around her throat.  
  
"Me too!" Craig agreed.  
  
"Me three!" JT and Sophia said, simultaneously.  
  
"I'm going to go get some water and food. I need help." Emma suggested.  
  
Craig stood.  
  
"I'll help you. I am the strongest man here after all!" He said, puffing out his chest and widening his shoulders, he walked out of the room that way.  
  
Without any conversation or warning, JT practically dove on to Sophia, forcing her down, kissing her passionately. She entangled her legs with his. He slowly slid his hand around on her bare back. Earlier in the night, they had agreed on a no sex policy for awhile. They knew it was way too early on in their relationship. Which is why Sophia was confused and broke the kiss when JT slid his other hand under her tutu.  
  
"JT." She saif rimly.  
  
"Sorry." He blushed.  
  
"AHEM!"  
  
Sophia practically through JT off of her. Emma and Craig were looking at them down on the floor.  
  
"Did we interrupt?" Craig asked, knowing the answer.  
  
"Of course not." JT said nervously.  
  
"Yeah, no..no." Sophia mumbled.  
  
Emma threw water bottles to JT and Sophia. She and Craig each had one. They had also brought up chips. For the rest of the party, the four of them sat in there, talking, and goofing off. They had a subconscious connection on an unreachable level. Craig even felt more comfortable around JT than he ever had before. No one was aware they were up there, so after the party had pretty much died out, Paige went up stairs, found them, and kicked them out at 12:45.  
  
As Emma and Sophia loaded into Sophia's car, she blew a kiss to JT, who in turn acted to be blow away by it. Craig rolled his eyes and waved by to the girls. When they arrived back at Sophia's house, they tip-toed around, not wanting to make her mom. They went into Sophia's living room and gossiped the entire night away, not even thinking about school the next day. 


	7. Sleeping All Day Staying Up All Night

Sophia's sleep was disturbed by screaming. No, not screaming. Shrieking. Wait, not that either. Honking? No, she sleepily decided. Beeping. Something was beeping like mad. And someone was saying her name. Loudly. Cautiously, she popped one eye open to find Emma's nose right in her face. She slowly sat up and brushed the hair out of her face.  
  
"Sophia! I've been trying you wake you up for the past five minutes!"  
  
"Sorry, Em. What's that beeping?"  
  
"What's that beeping, you say?! IT'S LIFE! TELLING US THAT IT'S TWELVE."  
  
Sophia lifted an eyebrow as Emma pushed herself to her feet and stalked over to the entertainment stand. She picked up the clock, the source of the beeping, and shook it.  
  
"IT WON'T STOP!"  
  
Emma began to shake it so hard that she dropped it and it smashed to itty bitty pieces on the ground. The beeping stopped. But Emma was still freaking.  
  
"Emma, what's wrong?"  
  
"What's wrong?!?! We've missed half of school! A REALLY IMPORTANT HALF!"  
  
Sophia put a puzzled look on her face.  
  
"I don't understand. It's just school."  
  
Emma slapped her hands to her scalp.  
  
"Just school?!?!"  
  
"Yeah. I don't see the big deal.  
  
"OBVIOUSLY. Tomorrow is our big AP U.S. History exam Sophia!!!!!!!!! TODAY WAS REVIEW DAY!!!!!"  
  
"you know Em, if you hadn't signed up for a grade eleven history class, you wouldn't be freaking."  
  
"Sophia! Why do you have to be such a smart ass?!?!"  
  
Sophia sighed and laid down on the ground. Her head was pounding. Placing a damp, cold hand on her heated forehead, she came up with a solution.  
  
"Emma. We can review without the class. We'll get a bunch of people together and have a huge study session."  
  
Sophia noticed the lack in feet shuffling. Emma had stopped pacing.  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Really. We can even have it here."  
  
Emma broke into a dim smile.  
  
"You're awesome, Sophia."  
  
"I know, I know."  
  
Problem solved and satisfied, Sophia closed her eyes and went back to sleep.  
  
"Uh-huh, so come over at five and bring Jimmy." Sophia had the phone pressed between her shoulder and her ear. She was eating Twizzlers, spinning in a chair, blaring Nirvana on her stereo, and talking to Hazel. She looked over at Emma who was sitting on the computer telling everyone in their History class about the study session.  
  
"What's that?" She threw an arm over the said of the chair and turned the knob on the stereo so the music wasn't so intense.  
  
"Paige? Michalchuk? Why?"  
  
Emma turned around, interested in Sophia's phone conversation.  
  
"Can't she like, force someone to study for her or something?"  
  
Pause.  
  
"But she hates me."  
  
Pause.  
  
"What do you mean she WANTS to come?"  
  
Pause.  
  
"Oh. Good point. That's fair, I suppose. I go to her party, she comes to my study session. Whatever. Keep her off my back."  
  
Pause.  
  
"Okay, see you soon."  
  
Sophia hung up the phone only to turn it back on and dial another number. She sighed. She had dialed many numbers in the last hour, and she wanted this to be her last.  
  
"Hey, is Craig there?"  
  
She clicked a button on the phone stand and put Craig on speaker. Her ear hurt too much to have any more phone conversations that way.  
  
"Speaking."  
  
"Hey Craig. Emma and Sophia here."  
  
"Ah, the dynamic and now ditching duo. What are you fine ladies up to?"  
  
"Setting up a study session, believe it or not. My house, five. Can you come?"  
  
"Study? You? Other people?"  
  
"Craig. Come on, I don't have all day. Yes or no."  
  
"Yeah, sure. It can only help me, right?"  
  
"Right. See you soon. Ciao."  
  
She turned off the phone before Craig even said goodbye.  
  
Sophia and Emma were in the dinning room, getting ready for everyone to come over. Sophia had made sure they had a good amount of pencils, paper, and note cards. She also had put out her and Emma's history books. There was a white isle at the head of the dinning room table with markers for writing on. Ten chairs were put out. Emma made snacks that supposedly help you think better. They wanted to be prepared for this test, and so did everyone else. They certainly weren't going ro take the blame if someone didn't get an acceptable grade. First to show were, to Sophia's surprise, Paige and Spinner. Sophia had a smile on as she pulled the door open and greeting them.  
  
"Hey guys."  
  
"Hey." they each said, stepping inside. Sophia closed the door softly and turned to them.  
  
"Follow me." She gestured with her hand for them to follow. As they walked out of the entry room and down a hallway. They looked into some rooms they passed, obviously impressed. It didn't take long until they came upon a large opening.  
  
"This is the dinning room and the kitchen. For tonight, aka, the study room. Did you guys bring your books and such?"  
  
"Hun, does Gucci have material to work with?" Paige answered. Sophia gave her a look of confusion.  
  
"She means yes. Food?" Spinner said as he looked into the kitchen.  
  
"Of course!" Emma said, bursting from the kitchen with even more food. Bowls, cups, and plates with food and drinks in them were all along the bar counter connected to the kitchen. Spinner thought he was in heaven.  
  
DING DONG DONG DING DING DING DONG  
  
"I'll be right back!" Sophia said, disappearing. She raced down the hard wood hallway and slid to a hault when she reached the door, not even bothering to look through the eye hole.  
  
"Jimmy, Hazel, Marco, glad you could make it!!"  
  
"We SO need this study group." Hazel said. Looking past Sophia, she smiled and waved. 'Paige'. Sophia figured. Marco held up a bulky white brag.  
  
"I brought food and refreshments."  
  
"Thanks Marco, so thoughtful. But actually, we already have enough food."  
  
"With Spin here, you never have enough food." Marco said, poking fun at his friend.  
  
Just as everyone was settling in and getting comfortable, the doorbell rang. Sophia sighed and stood, exiting the room without a word. She didn't even bother to hurry to the door this time. She slowly took her time, and when she reached the door she pulled it open, already knowing who it was.  
  
"Hey, sorry if I'm late." Craig said apologetically.  
  
"Don't worry. You aren't. we haven't started anything yet."  
  
Ad Craig followed her down the hall, he hoisted his backpack a little high because it was slipping. He set it down against a wall when he entered the dinning room and gave a wave to everyone. Everyone was seated and there were two open seats. One next to Marco, one at the head of the table. Craig sat next to Marco, and Sophia sat at the head. Emma was seated at the other head. She stood.  
  
"Alright, let's get down to business. We have about five hours to cover all of American history, so you can imagine how-"  
  
"Wait." Hazel said. "I have a question. Isn't your mom ever home?" She said, looking down the table at Sophia.  
  
"yeah, but she works a lot and gets home late. Besides, she won't mind. Go ahead Emma."  
  
"Thanks Sophia. As I was saying……."  
  
For the next five hours, the group of teens covered fifteen chapters of their books, from 1670 to 1920. They were completely mentally exhausted. Spinner looked as if he would explode, Paige's eyes were about to roll back, and Jimmy felt as if his brain was going to fall out. But they knew what they were doing. And they were all confident they would pass. Well…almost all of them. Everyone left one by one, thanking Sophia and Emma with their whole hearts, until just Craig and Sophia were left, sitting at the table, quietly reading. Sophia looked up at Craig, who was really into the Civil War.  
  
"Craig?" She softly, not wanting to disrupt his train of thought. He looked up with tired eyes.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Don't think I'm kicking you out or anything, but isn't Joey going to worry about you?"  
  
"Oh, sorry. I just want to finish this chapter, and then I will call him. I told him I would before eleven."  
  
"Oh, ok." She smiled and looked back down at her book.  
  
Lifting her head, Sophia felt something stuck to it. She pulled it off and heard something rip. She had yet to open her eyes. She didn't want to, either. She figured she had dozed off for a little bit, and it was still really early. Nothing to worry about. Then he heard a grunt. At first, she thought it was herself. Practically peeling her eyes open, she looked around. Either she had gone blind, or it was pitch black. She stood to turn a light on, and found out that she had been laying on the floor. Something fell off of her when she stood. 'A blanket?' She thought. 'When did I get a blanket? When did I go on the floor?' taking a step towards the light switch she tripped over something lumpy and fell into the push up position. There was a loud agonized grunt and it scared the life out of Sophia. She jumped up and hit the switch, preparing herself for the worst. What she saw wasn't nearly as scary as what she thought she would see. It was Craig, now covering his eyes, under a green furry blanket and with his book laying on his chest. He said something, but it wasn't clear. His left eye crept open and went in a circle. Then it found Sophia's foot. And it traveled up her leg to her face.  
  
"Sophia?" 


	8. The First Time

"Sophia?"  
  
Sophia whipped around. She had a sudden feeling of dejavu, seeing as Craig had said the same thing to her early yesterday morning. But the brown haired boy wasn't Craig. It was JT. A smile spread across her face, but his stayed as gloomy as a dark cloud on a little girl's birthday.  
  
"JT! Hey!"  
  
She ran up to him and through her arms around his neck in a hug, and pecked his cheek when she let go. He didn't bother to return the hug. She didn't notice.  
  
"What are you doing here?" She motioned with an arm to The Dot, which they were standing outside of.  
  
"Just…going to get some food." He said flatly. "You?" He asked.  
  
"Oh, me and Craig were celebrating!"  
  
"You. And Craig. Celebrating. Celebrating what exactly."  
  
Sophia caught the disdainful tone in his voice and took a tiny step back.  
  
"We both got fours on our AP Exams!" She looked like a balloon about to burst.  
  
"oh. Congratulations. I knew you could do it." Although she knew it was the thought that counted, she wondered what was wrong with him. He was never so…emotionless. So cold. She put her hands in her pockets as the wind blew, flipping her hair in her eyes.  
  
"Listen, I know we haven't see much of each other in the last couple days, but -"  
  
"It's okay. Really. Why don't we just hang now?" He suggested, with a tiny bit of enthusiasm.  
  
"Okaay, sounds great. Let's go to my place."  
  
They didn't exchange more than glances as they made their way through Sophia's house and into her living room. She flopped down onto the floor, obviously exhausted. JT sat next to her heaving body Indian-style. She turned onto her side and propped her head up with her arm so she could look at him.  
  
"So….anything new?" JT asked, feeling awkward not talking to his girlfriend. He still seemed a little off to her.  
  
"Um, not much. Just been hanging out with Craig.." She saw JT roll his eyes. She stood, wanting to change the subject.  
  
"You wanna see my room? It's pretty awesome I hear."  
  
He stood and nodded his head. She grabbed his hand and led him to her room, opening the door in a dramtic fashion.  
  
"Tada!"  
  
JT seemed to be studying everything in there. All the posters, the decorations placed sporadically everywhere. It looked like a record store and Pier One Imports merged and then blew up in her room. He walked up to a sand painting of the band Incubus. He ran a hand over it, ever so lightly. She smiled to herself.  
  
"It's great, isn't it? It's my favorite. Craig's too."  
  
JT dropped his hand and turned around. He walked over to her desk and scanned it. He picked up a picture. It was of her and Craig. Very recent. She was on his back, giving him a noogie. They were both screaming in laughter. Thoughts over took JT's mind and he squeezed the picture frame. Sophia smiled when she saw JT looking at the picture. She obviously couldn't see the expression on his face. He tilted his head to her, and she caught something in his eyes that frightened her.  
  
"What's wrong, Craig?" She said quickly, worried. She obviously didn't know she said Craig instead of JT. That was the last straw. JT chucked the picture across the room. It hit the wall with a loud SMACK. Sophia jumped back quickly, but not quickly enough. JT was on her already. Squeezing her shoulders, he shook her with every word.  
  
"'I'M JT! YOU'RE BOYFRIEND. NOT CRAIG. NOT ANYONE ELSE. JUST ME. YOU STUPID BITCH!"  
  
He pushed her backwards and she hit the wall. She wasn't going to stand for this.  
  
"JT, get the hell out of my -"  
  
JT brought up his left fist and backhanded her. She went to the ground, landing in the corner, hand on her face now, cradling the new bruise that was forming. She looked up at him with broken eyes. His face was cold and unforgiving. His eyes were blank. He spoke.  
  
"Learn your place in this relationship. Your time is spent with me. Not some other guy. And don't try to tell me what to do, bitch. I wear the pants here, not you."  
  
He turned and left, slamming her bedroom door behind her. Sophia pulled her knees close to her and began to cry. She was so confused. She liked JT. A lot. 'Do I love him? I think I do. I know he loves me. I know it. That was just…an accident. I shouldn't have made him mad.'  
  
She pushed herself up using the wall and walked to the bathroom. Wondering if her mom was home, she shut and locked the door behind her. She looked in the mirror.  
  
"Whoa. train wreck." She whispered to herself. Make-up was all blotchy from crying, and her left cheek was blue, black, and yellow. It disgusted her to look at it. It disgusted her to look at herself. With one swift movement, she drove her fist into the mirror, shattering it into hundreds of pieces. She watched as they all reflected her broken spirit. Her hand was now bleeding, but she couldn't feel it. Sophia pulled open a drawer and took out some gauze pads and a wrap around bandage. After rinsing her hand, she applied the gauze pads to her knuckles and secured them with the wrap around bandage, which was then secured with a safety pin. There wasn't much she could do about her face, so she washed it, getting off all of the make-up. Now her cheek had puffed up. Coming out of the bathroom, she quietly walked to the kitchen, looking around corners to see if her mom was home. No sign of her yet. Nearing the refrigerator, she opened the freezer door and pulled out an ice pack. She rapped it in a dish towel and put it on her cheek. Then she went back to her room and laid down, thinking of how to explain all of this to her mom. No matter what it takes, she had to protect JT. He was hurt inside, and to Sophia, it wasn't his fault. It was her fault. 'It is always my fault…' 


	9. Roughing It

"………….I still don't get it." Craig says. Sophia sighs.  
  
"Okay, listen. The valence electrons are the electrons on the outermost orbital of an atom." Sophia explains.  
  
Craig nods in in agreement.  
  
"So you take the number of those, and draw the dot diagram like this."  
  
Sophia scribbles down a dot diagram and slides her notebook across the table to Craig to show him. He examines it thoughtful and makes an expression as to say he finally gets it.  
  
"Ohhhh! Okay, I think I got it."  
  
They both went back to doing their homework. Sophia finished first, closing her book, and putting it back into her backpack. She looked at the clock on the wall.  
  
"I should go, Craig."  
  
He looked up at the clock.  
  
"Uh, okay? Got a hot date?"  
  
"Actually, yeah. It's JT's birthday and I was going to go over to his place and have cake and stuff."  
  
"Ah ha. Well, have fun. I'll talk to you tomorrow."  
  
Sophia slung her backpack over her shoulder. She thought momentarily about telling Craig what had happened at her house last week. But she didn't. there was no point in her mind. It hadn't happened since, and she didn't think it was going to happen again.  
  
"Yeah, see ya."  
  
She slipped her shoes back on when she got to the door and went outside, immediately shivering. Racing to her car, she slipped a few times, all to avoid the cold. Before going to JT's apartment building, she stopped at her's, changed, grabbed a present and his cake. She carefully set them into the passenger seat before getting behind the wheel again. When she got to his door, she lightly tapped three times. JT opened the door in a flash.  
  
"Happy sixteenth birthday James 'the sexy' Tiberius Yorke!" She said with a toothy smile. She almost thought she saw him blush at that comment. He stepped aside so she could come in, and she went straight to the kitchen and set down the cake and the shiny blue bag.  
  
"So, is that a bag of goodies for me?" JT asked, jumping up and down like a child.  
  
"It is. Sit down." Sophia directed him to a chair at the dinner table, and he turned it away from the table so he could face her while she was digging though the bag. She pulled out a long black handkerchief.  
  
"What's the for?" He asked inquisitively.  
  
"Oh, you'll see."  
  
Sophia walked behind him and put the handkerchief over his eyes, using it as a blind fold.  
  
"Should I be afraid?" He asked jokingly.  
  
"very." She whispered in his ear.  
  
Then there was silence for about five minutes. Then JT heard high heels on the tile floor, then soon felt a hand on his shoulder. It was soon taken off. Then there was weight in his lap, and he realized she was sitting on him. He put a hand on her leg and was surprised to find it bare.  
  
"Are you…naked?"  
  
"No!" She said, laughing.  
  
"Go ahead and take off the blind fold."  
  
When he did, JT choked on what he saw. Sophia was dressed like a stripper. A white corset, light blue mini skirt, and white pumps.  
  
"Oh. My ….." JT was cut off when Sophia kissed him. They just sat in the chair making out, relishing in each other. Neither of them had felt so free in a long time. JT ran his hands all over Sophia but pulled away.  
  
"What?" She asked.  
  
"We have to stop, or else we won't be able to."  
  
Sophia grinned.  
  
"That's the other part of your present."  
  
"Huh?" JT was confused.  
  
Sophia pulled something out of her corset that made JT's heart stop.  
  
"Happy birthday." She whispered.  
  
JT suddenly stood, swung Sophia over his shoulder, and carried her off into his bedroom, birthday present in hand.  
  
The next day was a nightmare for Sophia. She hadn't gone to school. She stayed in bed all day. And when she finally got up to go to the bathroom and saw her reflection in the mirror, she threw up for what seemed like forever. Sitting on the floor, head leaning against the toilet seat, she felt like she was dying. And that would be okay with her. She ran her arm across her mouth to clean it, forgetting about the gash. She winced in pain. Slowly, she began undressing herself, but every movement felt like a thousand knives driving into that one spot. Eventually, she accomplished removing her clothing. Standing, ever so slowly, she swung her leg over the bathtub and got into the shower. She pulled the see-through flowery curtain closed. Turning on the water, the beads that came from the shower head hurt her bruises and cuts. But she knew no other way to be clean. To rid herself of the dirt on the outside. And on the inside. Finishing her shower, she over so lightly glided the towel over her body to dry off. Being sure her mom wasn't home, she walked to her room with the towel wrapped around her and she went back to her room. She didn't come out until an hour later. She was dressed in a sweatshirt and jeans. She had thought about applying make-up, but it would just hurt. She slipped on her open-backed Etnies by the door, quickly dug into her purse and pulled out some money. Just in case. Then she walked out the door. As she exited her apartment building, she avoided eye contact with everyone around her, although she could feel them starring at her. Their eyes burned into her skin like hot pokers. Stepping outside, it was the perfect temperature for what she was wearing. The wind was clam, but it was there, blowing her hair a little every now and then. Sophia put her hands in her pockets and began to walk. She walked downtown. She walked past the school. She walked to parts of the city she didn't know. She walked for hours. Not paying attention at all, just looking at her feet. After about three and a half hours of walking, she looked up to cross a street, and felt like she knew the neighborhood. Because she did. Thinking quickly, she made a decision and walked quickly across the street. She practically ran until she reached where she was going. She stood in front of the house, just looking at it for a moment. She then walked up the pathway to the door. She knocked. It hurt her hand. No answer. Again, she knocked. No answer. She huffed in defeat. Then a thought hit her like a freight train. She knelt down to the flower pot to her left and lifted it. Sure enough, there was the key she had seen him use many times before to get inside. The house was empty when she entered it. She shut the door, slipped off her shoes. Going into the kitchen, she looked at the clock on the microwave. It read 3:00. 'School just got out.' She thought to herself. 'He'll be home soon.' Sophia set the key down on the counter and went back out into the living room. She stood still for a moment, feeling awkward. Then she came up with an idea. Going up the stairs hurt her more than she thought it would. Her eyes began to tear up with every step, but she made it to the top none-the-less. She pushed open the door to his room. Feeling a bit too warm, she took off her sweatshirt and through it onto his computer chair that sat at his desk. She slowly climbed onto his bead, crawling towards the pillow and collapsed in exhaustion when her head finally found it. She dropped her arm over the side of the bed and picked up a navy, fuzzy blanket off the floor. She draped it over her upper body, and closed her eyes.  
  
Twenty minutes later, Craig entered his home. He was surprised to see the door unlocked, but thought nothing more than Joey forgetting to lock it. Jimmy was with him, they were going to work on an instrumental break in one of their new songs that they planned to record in New York in a couple of weeks.  
  
"You can go out to the garage now or grab some food, Jimmy, I'm gonna run my bag up to my room."  
  
"Yeah, alright." Jimmy was already on his way to the kitchen.  
  
As Craig climbed the steps, he skipped every other one, using his long legs as an advantage. He turned the right stepping into his room and was about to swing his bag onto his bed when he saw the feet, then legs, then blanket covered torso, then patch of hair. He set down his bag slowly, wondering what the hell was going on. Slowly kneeling, he reached under his bed and pulled out his baseball bat. He side stepped around the bed, going towards the face of the person who was in his bed. He slowly raised the bat over his head as he gently pulled the blanket away from the mysterious bed sleeper's face. He dropped the bat and it made a loud crashing noise as it collided with his bed side table. Sophia flinched but didn't wake up.  
  
"Oh my god…." He said to himself. He took a step back.  
  
Jimmy came running up the stairs.  
  
"Hey man what's taking so - what the hell?" Jimmy walked over to Craig to see who was in his bed. Just as Craig did, Jimmy starred in horror at the broken face of a well-known friend.  
  
"Craig, dude, is that…no….man…."  
  
"Yeah. It is, Jimmy. It's her."  
  
"What happened to her? What is she doing here?"  
  
"I'm asking myself the same questions."  
  
They were talking quietly, but Sophia stirred. They both looked at each other, and for a moment, Jimmy saw panic flash across Craig's face. Then they looked back at her as she slowly opened her eyes. It was blurry, but she could make out two forms standing above her. And then it got clearer, and she knew who was standing in front of her. Adrenaline shot through her body, telling her to run. But she was far to exhausted and hurt. All she could do is slowly sit up and look at them, as she silently let tears fall, knowing what they saw , what they were thinking, and what they were going to ask. Craig crouched down so he could be level with Sophia, and Jimmy, not wanting to look insensitive, did the same.  
  
"I don't even know where to start." Craig said.  
  
"Why don't we all go downstairs." Jimmy suggested. Sophia nodded and followed them, carefully, down the stairs and to the kitchen table, cringing as she sat down. She looked at her hands, unable to look either of the boys in the eye.  
  
"So, you want to tell us what happened or how you stumbled up on my bed?" Craig said, trying to sound playful, but having a serious demeanor at the same time.  
  
"I…I….was walking down my stairs and-"  
  
"Sophia." Jimmy said. She looked up at him.  
  
"There aren't any stairs in your house. So, um, why don't you start with the beginning." He forced a smile, trying to encourage her to be honest. She took a deep breath.  
  
"Yesterday, after Craig finished helping me with Chemisty, I went over to JT's for his birthday."  
  
Just then, she heard Craig start to grind his teeth. There was a fierce passion in his eyes now. She knew what he was thinking, and he was right. She pleaded with her eyes for him to wait, so she could finish. She gulped.  
  
"When I got there, we.." She wasn't sure how to continue. "I can't do this. I'm sorry." She looked down.  
  
"Sophia, you need to finish. Please." Jimmy told her.  
  
"No. I can't." She was crying.  
  
"C'mon Sophia. What happened?" Jimmy was ready to beg.  
  
"Jimmy, no. Please…."  
  
Craig stood.  
  
"Sophia tell us what the hell happened!" He was ready to scream. She looked at him, a scared, disgusted expression on her face. She too, stood, even though it killed her to do it so quickly.  
  
"We went into his bedroom and had sex, okay? It got a little rough! Is that what you wanted to hear? That's all! There's nothing else!"  
  
Sophia thought she saw a tinge of jealousy in Craig's expression. It soon passes. Jimmy saw what was coming next. He knew it would end badly.  
  
"That's not all, Sophia! Look at you! You look like you got hit by a car! He hit you!"  
  
"HE DIDN'T! HE LOVES ME!" Sophia was terrified. This is what she wanted.  
  
"yeah, sure looks like it. We all hit the ones we love!"  
  
"Craig stop it! Why are being like this? I'M FINE! I'M FINE! I'm fine! I'm fine! I'm fine! I'm fine…I'm fine…I'm fine…" her voice was growing faint and she was slowly sinking to the floor until she was on the ground, rocking back and fourth crying. Craig was immediately sorry for being so harsh. He knelt and lightly wrapped his arms around her, not wanting to hurt her. She cried and whispered into the nook of his neck.  
  
"When we went into his room, I shut and locked the door. Then….." She stopped. She wasn't going there. "Afterwards, I must've said something that offended him, because he started yelling. He pushed me out of the bed, and when I stood he kicked me in the stomach and I stumbled backwards and tripped over a pile of clothes, hitting the side of my face on the table. He ran to my and picked me up, squeeze my shoulders. He pushed me against the wall, and kept pulling me and pushing me, and pulling me. Then he shoved me towards the door, and threw my clothes at me. When he opened the door, he literally threw me out! What did I do wrong? How could I have made him so mad?"  
  
Craig didn't know how to answer her questions. How to comfort her. He was lost. And so was she. 


End file.
